In recent times, there has been rapid advancement in development and use of technologies such as virtual reality, augmented reality, and so forth, for presenting a simulated environment to a user. Typically, such technologies employ contemporary techniques such as stereoscopy, to provide the user with a feeling of immersion and complete involvement in the simulated environment. Furthermore, such simulated environments generally relate to fully virtual environments (namely, virtual reality), as well as real world environments including virtual objects therein (namely, augmented reality).
Typically, the user may use a device, for example, such as an augmented reality device, for experiencing such simulated environment. In such an instance, the augmented reality device may be a binocular device having dedicated display optics for each eye of the user. In other words, the displays of the binocular augmented reality device show different two-dimensional images of the virtual objects to the left and right eyes of the user for making the virtual objects appear realistic from a perspective of the user. Examples of augmented reality devices include near-eye displays such as augmented reality headsets, augmented reality glasses, and so forth.
However, conventional augmented reality devices have certain limitations. Specifically, existing techniques for overlaying (namely, superimposing) the virtual objects onto the real world environment of the user, are not sufficiently well developed. Consequently, the user's perception of the simulated environment around him/her is suboptimal. As an example, such overlaying of the virtual objects is additive in nature, thereby, allowing attributes of virtual objects (for example, such as shapes, colours, brightness, and the like, of the virtual objects) to be added to attributes of the real world environment of the user. However, in such an instance, the existing techniques do not allow for control of the attributes (for example, such as brightness, colours, and the like) of the real world environment of the user. As a result, the existing augmented reality devices are severely limited in their capability to overlay the virtual objects on areas of the real world environment that have high ambient light, thereby, limiting visibility and contrast within the simulated environment presented to the user. Furthermore, due to the aforesaid additive nature of the overlaying operation, there exist difficulties in overlaying dark virtual objects on the real world environment of the user. As an example, the existing augmented reality devices are often unable to overlay virtual objects that are darker than objects in the real world environment of the user.
Therefore, in light of the foregoing discussion, there exists a need to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks associated with conventional augmented reality devices.